Retrobit Generations

[VideoGameCritic]

Got this is the mail today (from Amazon) and since it might take a week or two to bang out an official review, thought I'd present some first impressions.

The box is surprisingly small and cheap looking - not shiny at all.

The console is very tiny - about 5" x 3" x 2". Wouldn't you know - it comes with a composite cable despite the fact that the HDMI is the big selling point. Fortunately I had an extra HDMI lying around.

The controllers are repurposed Genesis controllers with bright red buttons. Not too bad.

I was expecting the 90 games to be all NES, but there's a little bit of everything including arcade games, SNES, and Game Boy titles. Notable games include Knights of the Round, Ghouls and Ghosts, Mercs, Rtype 3, Rival Turb, Rocket Rodent, Super Earth Defense Force, Super Ghouls and Ghosts, Super R-Type, The Black Bass, The Blue Marlin, Ignition Factor, 1942, 1943, Bases Loaded 1 and 2, Bionic Commando, Brawl Bros., and Commando. Looks like most are Jaleco titles. About half the games are generic filler like Creepy Bird, Lawn Mower, and Mr. Bloopy.

From what I've seen the games play pretty well. There is a slight lag (these games are emulated) but nothing really objectionable. The graphics look a bit indistinct - you don't get the high definition you may be expecting. I like how you can return to the menu using the controller, and you can save your progress in any game. Unfortunately there's no pause.

My full review will have more but that will give you a rough idea what to expect. The review won't be glowing but it won't be scathing either.

[VideoGameCritic]

I realized lot of these games are Japanese NES titles like Holy Diver and Exerion.
I wish there was a way to save high scores with this thing.

[Robotrek]

Worst money I've ever spent.

-Horrible quality HDMI.

-Misleading advertising, with only 1 Data East game despite their name being plastered on the box.

-Horrid sound quality. Most games are completely off-key in terms of sound, and often times, instruments/sounds won't even play.

-Slowdown and hiccups in anything post-nes is very common despite 10 year old PC's can emulate and SNES perfectly.

-No way to use classic NES controllers.

I'd suggest everybody avoid this thing like the plague. Much like the AtGames Genesis units, I think Dave is being far too kind in his assessments.

[Atariboy]

It hasn't fared too well over at AtariAge, either.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/253811 ... nerations/

I believe I read that not only do many of the non-NES games run slow (And with heavy frame skipping extremely evident even on YouTube videos for at least the SuperNes titles), but the arcade games actually run too fast. So even when the emulator is capable of correct speed, they still somehow screwed it up.

And at least one 3:4 vertical arcade shooter is here, but with the screen rotated 90 degrees instead of just pillarboxed like every single publisher since the dawn of commercial arcade emulation has done with vertically oriented games. I guess Retro Bit thought that Capcom was wrong all those years ago and believed that this particular classic was actually better represented as a horizontal shooter. It fills more of your screen this way of course, but at what loss to the original experience. Just bizarre...

Heck, they even screwed up some of the game names. Retro Bit has done a good job to build up a modest reputation for creating superior clone systems through the years compared to the competition, but I believe that they've likely murdered that with this product.

[Rookie1]

Im really glad I didnt order this one right now. Seems like the first batch of these are not great. I wonder if it can be updated through via SD card like the Retron 5 could.

[VideoGameCritic]

Wow you guys are pretty brutal. It might not be up to the standards of the NES Classic, but this system is still cheaper than a new game! Just browsing through the selection and trying a few games I'd never seen before made it seem worthwhile.

[Robotrek]

Wow you guys are pretty brutal. It might not be up to the standards of the NES Classic, but this system is still cheaper than a new game! Just browsing through the selection and trying a few games I'd never seen before made it seem worthwhile.

Emulation on your computer will give you a superior experience, and it's free. Buying the CapCom and Data East collections from the past are still cheaper than a new game as well. The main complaint here is that in the year 2016, emulation systems should be superior to plug n' plays from 2005, but it isn't. Hell, a Raspberry Pi setup would do the same thing in a superior fashion. Had RetroBit actually put fourth more than 2 days worth of EFFORT, I'd have LOVED this thing. But alas, they blew it. A shame, as they did make some quality products before.

[Atariboy]

Even the controller style they selected demonstrates their lack of effort.

Why a 6 button Genesis style controller? Reportedly none of the very few Genesis inclusions even are 6 button games, the few arcade games don't come close to using 4 buttons let alone 6, and Super Nintendo titles dominate the game lineup.

So the company that has produced SuperNes clone controllers in the past managed to harm the few games in their lineup that actually used 6 buttons, by going with a control scheme foreign to those that remember how these were played. Now when you're supposed to hit L/R, they're face buttons instead of the familiar shoulder buttons. What did they think they were accomplishing?

I suppose it could help in limited circumstances like fighters, but it's far more likely to hinder gameplay due to the confusion and the limited number of face buttons you can even depress with your right thumb for games that originally called for simultaneous use of the shoulder buttons and face buttons.

[Atariboy]

If it's of any interest, a helpful member at AtariAge has broken down the game lineup by platform.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/253811 ... ?p=3650113

Pretty slim pickings for the arcade side of things. I was hoping to see a lot of Jaleco arcade games represented since that's one publisher that has almost been ignored in the compilation era, but no such luck. I'd of been much more willing to put up with some flaws for some rare arcade games.

[VideoGameCritic]

Actually this list is extremely helpful. Too bad they couldn't include this info with the system.